Game notes: No. 25 Nebraska football heads to Minnesota on short week

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The No. 25-ranked Nebraska football team is set to play its second road game in as many weeks.

The Huskers (5-1, 2-1) will take on Minnesota (4-2, 2-1) at Huntington Bank Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. on FOX.

Nebraska returns to play following a dramatic 34-31 back-and-fourth victory over Maryland on Saturday.

SEE ALSO: Nebraska football fights back in road victory over Maryland

The victory pushed the Huskers into the AP Top 25 for the first time this season.

This week against the Gophers, Nebraska will look for back-to-back road victories in consecutive weeks since 2006.

Friday’s game in Minneapolis is the first meeting between the two schools since Matt Rhule’s first game as the Huskers’ head coach in 2023.

Minnesota owns a five-game winning streak in the series, dating back to 2019.

Each of the past four Gopher victories have been by seven points or less.

You can watch head coach Matt Rhule’s press conference on Monday below:

SCOUTING MINNESOTA

Minnesota enters this game after putting together a fourth quarter comeback of their own on Saturday.

The Gophers out-scored Purdue 14-0 in the fourth quarter to bring home a 27-20 win over the Boilermakers.

Minnesota relies on a strong defense that allows just over 300 total yards per game.

The Gopher defense has also recorded 10 takeaways and three defensive touchdowns.

Devon Williams leads the Gophers with 50 tackles, while Anthony Smith boasts a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

John Nestor has snagged three interceptions through six games this season.

On offense, Minnesota averages 340.8 yards per game, racking up 228.5 yards through the air.

Starting quarterback Drake Lindsey has completed 113 of his 188 passes for 1,284 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions.

Le’meke Brockington leads the Gopher receiving core with 23 catches for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Javon Tracy follows with 16 grabs for 253 yards and two scores.

On the ground, Minnesota rushes for 112.3 yards per game.

The workhorse in the backfield is Fame Ijeboi, racking up 225 yards and a touchdown on 48 carries.

THIS WEEK’S NUMBERS

3 – Nebraska has a trio of receivers with at least three touchdown catches this season: Nyziah Hunter (4), Dane Key (4) and Jacory Barney Jr. (3). This is the first time Nebraska has had three wideouts catch three or more touchdowns in a season since 2015.

4 – Nebraska is one of four schools in the country to have a player ranked in the top 20 nationally in rushing yards per game (Emmett Johnson) and passing yards per game (Dylan Raiola). The other three schools are Baylor, Rutgers and USC.

10 – Nebraska led Maryland 24-17 at halftime, making the 10th straight game Nebraska has led or been tied at the half dating back to last season. The previous time Nebraska had a streak of 10 consecutive games of not trailing at the half was a 12-game streak spanning the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

SCORE PREDICTIONS

Nate Johnson: Nebraska wins 31-20

Jake Homan: Nebraska wins 27-17

Mark Fischer: Nebraska wins 34-17

MATT RHULE RUMORS

Head coach Matt Rhule curbed some of the rumors circulating after Penn State fired James Franklin on Sunday.

When asked about the firing on Monday, Rhule vocalized his love for Penn State:

“I love Penn State, met my wife there. It’s my alma matter. Fan since I was born, I probably had a Penn State shirt on when I was born. I love Pat Kraft. Really sad to see Coach Franklin go. When you think about what he did for my alma matter, the program was in peril. People remember the historic sanctions, you could transfer out, you could do whatever you want. Bill O’Brien comes in and stabilizes it for two years. James takes over a program in disarray and gives stability, excellence. And to see videos of people yelling at his kids, I just don’t understand why now in our country coaches are villains. Do you know how hard I worked in Carolina? Do you know how hard I work here and some of the things that are said? I’m just really sad about that part of it. And people say ‘ well you make a lot of money.’ Making a lot of money doesn’t make your kids feel good when they’re hearing that. I really respect James Franklin.”

Rhule went on to express his dedication to Nebraska:

“Troy and I have an unbelievable relationship too. And Troy and I are in constant communication about this program and where we’re headed. I came here for two reasons: I love the community here and wanted to live here and I love it here, and I wanted to rebuild Nebraska football. Troy and I understand the steps that you need to take to make us Big Ten champions and national champions. This place is elite. I want to be a great father and I want to be a great college football coach. I’m not going to talk a lot about job openings when they come. Maybe it’s been a while here, but this is what happens when you win. I’ve dealt with this at Temple, I’ve dealt with this at Baylor. I’m not going to talk about those things ever. I’m not going to talk about my contract here, I’m going to talk about the team. But I absolutely love it here. I want us to continue to take the steps needed for us to turn this thing into a beast. Players all across the country want to come here. We have the best facilities, we have elite fans and I’m just looking into the future. I love that place (Penn State), I love Pat, I love James Franklin. I’m sad that came to an end and I wish him the absolute best, but I’m really happy here and I’m excited to get going this week on Minnesota.”

Rhule played college football at Penn State and grew up on the east coast.